Food

5 Cool Catering Services That Will Make Your Next Dinner Party Memorable

Time to call the Caviar Queen.

Photograph by Toastworthy.

The Forager

Iulian Fortu

language Website

Photograph courtesy of business.

The Noma-trained chef/forager crafts exquisite four-course dinners featuring hyper-­seasonal wild rarities such as truffles, morel mushrooms, and ramps. He’ll pair the feast with cocktails, wine, or artful nonalcoholic creations. Prices start at $350 for dinner for two; email av@arcadiaventure.com.

The Cocktail Gurus

Toastworthy

language Website

Photograph courtesy of business.

Meet Toaster and Toasty, a pair of gleaming vintage Airstream trailers turned mobile bars, where mixology maestros whip up scratch-made cocktails for alfresco soirees, which can be complemented by grazing tables, lawn games, and cozy fire pits with s’mores kits. Rates start at $2,500; email cheers@toast-worthy.com.

The Caviar Queen

Caviar Concierge

language Website

Photograph courtesy of business.

Claire King helms chic carts laden with a glistening array of fish eggs—from smoked trout roe to golden osetra—and offers accoutrements ranging from classic blini to tater tots and truffled chips. Rates start at $1,000; email info@caviarconciergedc.com.

The Yakitori Master

ToriSumi Yakitori

language Website

Photograph courtesy of business.

Chef Blake King apprenticed in Japan to learn the fine art of yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). His 16-course, live-fire extravaganzas showcase an entire chicken, part by part, as well as seasonal vegetables, with an optional sake pairing. Prices start at $900 for a six-person dinner; email info@torisumiyakitori.com.

The Oyster Ninja

S.S. Shucking

language Website

Photograph courtesy of business.

Gardner Douglas can shuck up to 300 bivalves an hour—from firm, briny Olde Salts to sweet and creamy Kumamotos. Supplement your raw-bar spread with stone-crab claws, shrimp cocktail, and caviar. Prices start at $800 for 100 oysters; email oysterninjapc@­gmail.com.

This article appears in the April 2024 issue of Washingtonian.

More:
Parenting writer

Nevin Martell is a parenting, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife and their six-year-old son, who already runs faster than he does.